Tote box



Ap 3 H. w. BARTHOLOMEW 2,634,020

TOTE BOX- Filed May 19, 1948 2 SI-IEETS-Sl-EET l I? I i I I 1 5a 2a 4 INVENTOR. flowing IV. 54191 10 o/nsu/ April 1953 H. w. BARTHOLOMEW 2,634,020

TOTE BOX 2 Sl-lEETS-Sl-IE'ET 2 Filed May 19, 1948 w m. mm M. Z M F 1 0 7 5 W M WW w Patented Apr. 7, 1953 UNITED PATENT )FFICE vat-34,020 V I TGTE Box 'HowarhW'Barthtldmew, Pdttstbwngila asstgimr "tb- Di ehl'e'r-Jai' vis Gorporati'omNew York,- N.' Y.,

a, cairporation of fi-Michigan Kpplibation my '19, 1948, sedans). 'zsgors 3 Claims. Cl. 22.072

This invention relates "lib {trite bdxs, and more fia'i'ticiflafly "to an *hnbfi'bild lig ht wight die-(fast tote box. W The primary obj eat is to generally "imprtiveto'te 'bdxes. Anotherobjedt istopro-vide'a tote box of 'i'ihp'r ovd "utility and decreased weight. Still anoth r-object is tqfdevise 'at ote box so shaped thatfi t readily cleaned and ma be readily emb'tiedoftiny objects.

A more 'pa'rticril'ar "o'bj'eet er the invention is "to IiifiVi'dfe "a. ftote "156x; 'tl'ie *bottom wail of *vvhich has a *substantm number of "Well rounded "corrugati ansextendingin'para11e1 relation longitudinally of the box in order to stifien the bottom of the pot: ahdfltp facilitate draggingthe same along'the fiber; Still another obj'edt isto designhahdles oi zsfibsta'ritialdinihsioh anaare Which are comfortaible to use and which inake it "possible "to carry a substantial weightwith 'les's fatigue. The handle is preferably reinforced by webfsextendin'g transyersdy between the handle and the end wan bf the btiii, "and the bbX is Tei'nfcimed by the handles themselves. I

In accordance with "further features and objetsof th'e ini e'ntionjthe peripheral top-edge (if the 't'ote bO'X is reinforced by a head "of substantial section, and the side walls are reinrercea b a 'pliir'ality of upright struts. The upper *endsbf the strutspreferably tfinlnritedh the peripi eralgbeaa, "Bind the lbW'r ends of the struts firfrab1y terminate shdft' 'bf "the bottom wall' of the box. Thebides or the boxare giv'en a s'llg hi' downward taper such that "the bottom oioneibox may be fitted into the top of a sub- ;iaio'ent box. In accordance with the present invention, the Irec'eption of "the upper box I into the low-er "box delimited by engagement of the lower ends'o f the a foresaidzstrutsof the-upper box with theE-peripheral bead ofthelo'wer boxl flherlstruts Of as't'a'ck of boxes oom'e' into vertical alignment, andtake the weight directly.

It is convenient to i'provid'e a holder on one end'walliof the tote box to receive an identifying caid. Inaec'ordance with one of theiobjects of the present invention, a major portion :of the area of one :end wall lisfiindnted, and the bard holderis secufedine'a'r the 'bottom of the indented fwall. "Theindentationbf the wall serv's-ato protect the card-against in'jurylo'r loss.

Theforegoing and other objects o'f th'e present invention are fulfilled :by die'casting :a tote box out of aluminum or other light-weight metal or alloy. The die'casting process makes-iti poss'ible tofprovide allot the desired ,parts and; reinforcements intpgrally in :a sing le molding operation.

it also makesitpossible'to round all of the inside 2 corners of the box on a substantial radius, thereby medit ting cleaning or th'e boxpa-nd prevent infg trabpinjgof small parts,'as often occuis'vihen using tote boxes made of wood or foldedsheet metal. *At the same time the use of light-weight metals :and alloys results in a tote box which, desfiite its siibstantia l thikne'ssand solidapbar- -aince, is nevertheless onlya-fraction o'f the'weight ef tote boxes or equal volume heretofore emmoved. 7 t

Toaceompli'sh the foregoing objects, and such other more detailed objets 'as may hereinafter appear, my invention resides in "the totebdx-lements and their relation one to another as are hereinafter more particularly described in the renewing sbe'ifica'tion. The specification 'acoomp'anied by drawings in which Fig. *1 a perspective view showin a fewltote boxes in stacke'drelation;

*Fig. '2 is a plan viewer 3a 'tote box'embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a partially 'sec'tion'ed s'id'e elevation of the same taken approximately in the plane of the 1i'ne 3 3 of-Fig. 2;

Fig. dis an'nd view'ofthe sametand V Referrin to 'the dfiawing, the it'ote bb'x comprises a bottom wall l2, sidewalls -14, iandend "walls 16 and 18. The bdttoin wall "12 1s corrugated with *a 'siibstantlal numb er of eorrugations 20 extend-in'g 'inparalll relation longitudinally of "the tote "box. 7 These corrugations narepreferably given "a "well rounded contour and are "al preferably rounded 'at the-ends or the tote'box. The corrugated seetion s'tifiens the bottom wall against bending, even "under very heav :loads. The rbunde'd configiir-atioh o'f t'l'ie 'corrug'ations "faeilitates dragging the box along the fioor, "for the corrugations a'ctas'rails, reduce friction, and prevent the'p'i-ling up of dirt infront-of 'the box tisiit is-"dra'g'ged along. 7

The end walls i6 and 18 are preferably provided vi'r ith handles 22 of-subs'tantial dimension. These curve outwardly and downwardly, as ts best shown in Fig. 3. 'They preferably' extend ior "the "full width "of "the end Wall, andare preferabl'y locat'edat the top edgeof the end Wall; but the end portions of the handle :may be tapered into 'the e'nd'wall; as is best shown at 2 4 in Figs. 2 and 4. .The handles are readily strengthened "against bending or breakage by' 'the provision of transverse reinforcing webs which extend from the handle to'the end wallof the box. Suchwebs are best shown at 26 in -Figs. =2, -3 land A. One

typical tote box size is 20 long, 12" wide and 3 9" deep (inside dimensions), and consequently the space within handle 22 between the webs 26 is more than adequate for a hand, and in fact will accommodate two hands.

The peripheral top edge of the tote box is reinforced by means of a bead 28 of substantial crosssection. The side walls are reinforced by upright struts 30. The struts are disposed on the outside of the side walls, and at their upper ends preferably merge into the bead 28. The walls l4, l6 and I8 of the box taper or converge slightly in downward direction. This taper is such that the lower end of one box will be received for a short distance within the upper end of a subjacent box. The idea is to permit stacking of loaded boxes one above another, as shown in Fig. l. The struts 30 terminate short of the bottom wall l2 and act as motion limiting means to limit the reception of an upper box into a lower box. In doing so they prevent one box from jamming tightly into and sticking within another box. Since the struts 30 come into vertical alignment when the boxes are stacked, as shown in Fig. 1, the struts directly take the weight of stacked, loaded boxes.

In Fig. 4 it will be noted that while the sides of the box taper downwardly, the struts 39 preferably diverge in thickness in a downward direction, the dimension of the parts being such that the outside faces of the struts are vertical. The advantage of this will be seen from inspection of Fig. 5, in which it will be noted that the thickness at the upper end 32 of a strut 30 is such as to come flush with the other face 34 of the peripheral bead 28. The lower end 38 of the strut 30 is, however, of greater thickness, it being equal to the thickness 32, plus the thickness of the side wall l4. From another viewpoint the lower end of strut 30 is equal tothe full thickness of the peripheral bead 28, including the wall M.

In order to maintain the full cross-section of reinforcing metal at the upper end 32 of the strut 30, it may be widened when viewed in opposite direction, and this will be seen in Fig. 3 of the drawing, in which the upper end 32 of the strut 30 is wider than the lower end 36.

Incidentally, the various tapers referred to, all facilitate the molding operation.

The handles 22 previously referred to are preferably located at the very top of the end walls 16 and I8, and from this viewpoint it may be said that the reinforcing bead at the end of the box is extended outwardly and downwardly to form a handle of substantial dimension. From another viewpoint it may be said that at the ends of the box the handles are themselves used to provide a strongly reinforced top edge.

One end wall is preferably provided with a card holder shown at 4!! in Figs. 3 and 4. In accordance with the present invention, a major portion 42 of the end wall i6 is indented for a substantial distance, and the card holder 4|] is secured to this indented portion. It will be evident that the indentation serves to protect an inserted card against injury or loss as the tote box is handled. The card holder 49 may be made of any desired resilient material and may be secured to the end wall in any desired fashion. In the present case the card holder is die cast. One advantage of the die casting process for the card holder is that it may be cast integrally with rivet studs 26. These are passed through mating holes in the end wall of the box, and are riveted on the inside of the box.

'4 This eliminates the need for separate rivets; eliminates the need for forming heads on the outside of the card holder; and provides a smooth, finished appearance on the outside, there being no visible rivets or other securing means.

It is believed that the construction of my improved tote box, as well as the advantages thereof, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. Steel tote boxes of comparable dimension weigh more than twice as much as the present tote box when cast of aluminum alloy, and, of course, the weight may be lowered even further by using a magnesium alloy. Because the tote box is cast, numerous refinements in the way of curved and filleted surfaces may be employed, and numerous advantageously located reinforcements may be provided. The

a curved inside surfaces facilitate emptying and cleaning the box. The well rounded corrugations on bottom facilitate dragging the box along the floor. Handles of substantial area and comfortable shape are readily provided, and are easily reinforced by suitable transverse webs extending to the walls of the box itself. Outside struts may be used not only to reinforce the walls of the box, but to improve the stacking of the boxes, and to directly take the weight of stacked, loaded boxes. The card holder is sturdy and of good appearance, yet inexpensive to make and apply. A card inserted in the card holder is protected against tearing or loss, because of the indentation of the end wall at the card holder.

It will be apparent that while I have shown my invention in a preferred form, changes may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as sought to be defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tote box comprising integrally joined bottom, side, and end walls, the inside corners of said box being smoothly rounded and easily cleaned, the ends of said bottom wall curving smoothly upwardly into said end walls, the peripheral top edge of the box being reinforced by a bead of substantial section, said bead being formed by increasing in outward direction the thickness of the walls at the bead, the bead at said end walls extending outwardly and downwardly to form handles of large dimension. said side walls having a plurality of upright struts which merge at their upper ends in the aforesaid bead and which terminate short of the bottom wall at their lower ends, said struts being formed by increasing in outward direction the thickness of the walls at the struts, the said walls tapering somewhat to permit the lower end of one box to fit into the open top of another box. the reception of the upper box in the lower box being limited by contact of the lower ends of the struts with the peripheral bead.

2. A die cast tote box comprising integrally joined bottom, side, and end walls, the inside corners of said box being smoothly rounded and easily cleaned, said bottom wall being corrugated longitudinally of the box, the ends of said bottom wall curving smoothly upwardly into said end walls, the peripheral top edge of the box being reinforced by a bead of substantial section, said bead being formed by increasing in outward direction the thickness of the die cast walls at the bead, the bead at said end walls extending outwardly and downwardly to form handles of large dimension, said side walls having a plurality of upright struts which merge at their upper ends in the aforesaid bead and which terminate short of the bottom wall at their lower ends, said struts being formed by increasing in outward direction the thickness of the die cast walls at the struts, the said walls tapering somewhat to permit the lower end of one box to fit into the open top of another box, the reception of the upper box in the lower box being limited by contact of the lower ends of the struts with the peripheral bead, all of said parts being die cast as an integral unit out of a die casting alloy.

3. A die cast tote box comprising integrally joined bottom, side, and end walls, the inside corners of said box being smoothly rounded and easily cleaned, said bottom wall being corrugated longitudinally of the box, the, ends of said bottom wall curving smoothly upwardly into said end walls, the peripheral top edge of the box being reinforced by a bead of substantial section, said head being formed by increasing in outward direction the thickness of the die cast walls at the bead, the bead at said end walls extending outwardly and downwardly to form handles of substantial dimension, the end portions of the handles tapering off to the end walls, two reinforcing webs extending transversely inside each of the handles to said end walls, said webs being located inside the tapering end portions but being so widely spaced apart as to provide a large size handle between the webs, said side walls having a plurality of upright struts which merge at their upper ends into the aforesaid bead and which terminate short of the bottom wall at their lower ends, said struts being formed by increasing in outward direction the thickness of the die cast walls at the struts, the said walls tapering somewhat to permit the lower end of one box to fit into the open top of another box, the reception of the upper box in the lower box being limited by contact of the lower ends of the struts with the peripheral head, all of said parts being die cast as an integral unit out of a light weight die casting alloy.

HOWARD W. BAR'I'HOLOMEW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 786,674 Polski Apr. 4, 1905 320,445 Speer May 15, 1906 1,014,491 Lammine Jan. 9, 1912 1,257,119 Reynolds Feb. 19, 1918 1,283,351 Stone Oct. 29, 1918 1,420,992 Erickson June 27, 1922 1,567,618 Robinson Dec. 29, 1925 1,732,437 Ganzer Oct. 22, 1929 1,937,847 Runyan Dec. 5, 1933 2,005,641 Stanitz et a1 June 18, 1935 2,172,878 Pfitzer Sept. 12, 1939 2,300,317 Scherer Oct. 27, 1942 2,335,636 Bodie Nov. 30, 1943 2,414,171 Scharff Jan. 14, 1947 2,447,022 McCarl Aug. 17, 1948 2,467,698 Reynolds Apr. '19, 1949 2,564,834 Devine et al Aug. 21, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 64,511 Norway Feb. 23, 1942 

